Every year in the March Madness odds, new big names place their giant footprints on the game of college basketball—not total no-names, per se, but under-appreciated stars from schools that aren't among the nation's so-called top contenders. Last year, Stephen Curry had that honor for Davidson. This year—though Purdue obviously has a better pedigree than Davidson—JaJuan Johnson has claimed that role.
Johnson, a 6'10" sophomore, has been a sight to behold for the Boilermakers so far in the March Madness odds. The big man has averaged 18 points over his last four games and, perhaps more importantly, has been a true force on defense for Purdue. He made two crucial blocks late in the Boilermakers' clutch 76-74 win over Washington in the round of 32 and will be counted on to help suppress a Connecticut offense averaging 97.5 points per game in the March Madness odds. Ultimately, for Purdue to succeed, Johnson must conquer the behemoth known as Hasheem Thabeet.
Thabeet, who stands 7'3", is considered by many to be the defensive juggernaut of the entire Sweet 16 field. He ranked second in the nation with 4.5 blocks per game and 10th with 7.2 defensive rebounds per game this season. He's no slouch offensively either; he averages 13.6 points per game this NCAA basketball betting season and he dropped 20 (with 13 boards) on poor Chattanooga in the first round of the March Madness odds. For Purdue to have any chance against UConn, Johnson must hold Thabeet under, say, 15 points and he must find away to score 15 or more of his own.
As gritty as Purdue has looked so far, as promising as Johnson seems to be, it's hard to justify betting against the No. 1-seeded UConn Huskies in the March Madness odds. They're the deeper team and they seem to be peaking when it matters. Bet on UConn to reach the Elite Eight.
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